ZARINA (B. 1937)

"With considerable insight Zarina reclaims cities that have been destroyed, violated and in some cases have disappeared in her series Cities, Countries, Borders, woodcuts completed in 2013. Grozny, Sarajevo, Srebrenica, Beirut, Jenin, Baghdad, Kabul, Ahmedabad, New York are known for the civilizations they have produced [...] This series of prints raises the troubling questions of how we recognize cities, towns or even hamlets, or even more troubling if we remember them at all [...] The impression these prints leave is direct and straightforward. They provide grim records of senseless destruction and violence. Yet Zarina's characteristic spare monochromatic approach distances the events as reality. For her hope is in the memory of events. By drawing the paces, and recording the names in Urdu written in elegant Nastaliq calligraphy, she ensures that they leave an indelible impression upon our minds." (M. Milford-Lutzker, 'Mapping the Dislocations', Zarina: Counting 1977-2005, New York, 2005, unpaginated)